Doug St . Aubin THE IVORY BILLED WOODPECKER

published:22 Sep 2014

views:19

Thought to have been extinct , it could have been spotted somewhere in Arkansas USA . Last one seen was some 75 yrs ago, as old as Charlie's famous speech. Maybe some other things will come back as well. CFD

"The Ivory-billed Woodpecker should have a low flap rate."

published:06 Feb 2015

views:6

This lecture debunks claims that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker should have a lower flap rate than the Pileated Woodpecker since it is more massive. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker actually has a flap rate that is about double the flap of of the Pileated Woodpecker.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is or was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, at roughly 20 inches in length and 30 inches in wingspan. It was native to the virgin forests of the southeastern United States (along with a separate subspecies native to Cuba). Due to habitat destruction, and to a lesser extent hunting, its numbers have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. The species is listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The American Birding Association (ABA) lists the Ivory-billed Woodpecker as a Class 6 species, a category the ABA defines as "definitely or probably extinct."

Reports of at least one male Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas in 2004 were investigated and subsequently published in April 2005 by a team led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Fitzpatrick et al., 2005). No definitive confirmation of those reports emerged, despite intensive searching over five years following the initial sightings.